Shun bigots

A Washington, D.C. area hotel last week closed its doors to a racist convention that had booked rooms under the benign-sounding name “American Renaissance” conference. Now all American hotels and conference centers should follow that lead because in the U.S., renaissance means overcoming bigotry.

“American Renaissance” conducts a biannual conference that promotes racial and religious hatred. This year one of its guest speakers at the February conference is to be Nick Griffin, a convicted criminal who heads the British National Party, a white separatist group that contends immigrants are causing the “genocide” of “indigenous” white Britons.

The hotel cancelled the booking after several groups asked it not to serve as host to a hate hoedown. Those groups will monitor the organization’s attempts to secure another meeting place. They include the United Steelworkers; One People’s Project, which describes itself as a resource for those fighting fascism; and the Mormon Worker, a newspaper based in Provo, Utah.

As a union that promotes diversity and inclusion, the United Steelworkers finds the doctrine and language of Griffin and “American Renaissance” reprehensible.

The “American Renaissance” website contends, for example: “Virtually no whites anywhere are willing to break taboos about racial differences in IQ, the costs of ‘diversity,’ or the challenges of non-white immigration.”

It specifies: “Gentlemen will wear jackets and ties to all conference events.” Apparently women are not invited.

It also tacitly acknowledges the offensiveness of its message by offering attendees tags bearing false names, which it describes as “war names": “We will prepare name tags in advance; please call us if you would like to use a nom de guerre.”

That link to violence is not accidental. By inviting Nick Griffin, the group embraced a criminal whose organization is connected to numerous violent – even deadly – acts.

In 1998, Griffin was convicted of inciting racial hatred for articles that denied the Holocaust. He received a suspended nine-month prison term. At the trial he said, “I am well aware that the orthodox opinion is that six million Jews were gassed and cremated and turned into lampshades. Orthodox opinion also once held that the world is flat.”

Griffin has cited neo-fascist Robert Fiore as a major BNP influence. Fiore is a convicted criminal and member of the Italian terrorist organization implicated in the 1980 Bologna bombing that killed 85 people.

Among the criminals associated with the BNP are David Copeland, a former member sentenced to 50 yeas for setting off explosives that killed three people and injured 139; former BNP candidate Coventry Roderick Rowley who was sentenced to prison on 14 charges of making and distributing obscene images of children, and BNP election agent Kevin Hughes who was sentenced to two years in prison for assaulting an Iraqi asylum seeker.

Griffin and the BNP were admired by U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum shooter James W. von Brunn, who killed a security guard when he opened fire in the Washington, D.C. museum lobby last year. Brunn, a white supremacist who was convicted and imprisoned earlier for an armed attempt to kidnap Federal Reserve Board members, went to see Griffin speak when the BNP leader lectured in the U.S. previously. Brunn wrote on his blog that although he had misgivings about Griffin allowing Jews to join the BNP:

“My hat is off to this fighting white man, Nick Griffin, for the incredible victories for White Britain which his hard work, rhino-thick skin against Jewsmedia criticism, and inspired leadership have made possible. . .Hail the white leader, Nick Griffin!”

Brunn died in prison in January awaiting his murder trial.

Griffin himself is again facing the potential of imprisonment, this time over the BNP’s racist constitution. A British court ordered him to change the document so that it no longer bars admission of Asians, blacks and members of other ethnic minorities. The BNP constitution also says:

“The British National Party stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration between British and non-European peoples. It is therefore committed to stemming and reversing the tide of non-white immigration and to restoring, by legal changes, negotiation and consent, the overwhelmingly white make-up of the British population that existed in Britain prior to 1948.”

Griffin suggests non-whites be paid to leave Britain and return to their countries of origin. It’s not clear how that would work for minorities who’ve lived in Britain for generations.

The court initially set the end of January as a deadline for the constitutional change, but has given Griffin two more weeks to comply. This convict connected to so many other criminals apparently received a visa to enter the U.S. How likely is it that he would he have gotten one if he were a Muslim endorsing the “cleansing” of Christians?

Hotels and conference centers have every right to shun the likes of Griffin and “American Renaissance.” Refusing to provide a forum for hate is not a denial of First Amendment free speech rights. Griffin and the American Renaissance are free to spew their race and religion-based venom in any public park or on any private property owned by a like-minded bigot.

United Steelworkers International Vice President for Human Affairs Fred Redmond writing at The Hill

Schoolboy confronts Griffin at memorial

BNP leader argues with a 13-year-old at WWI monument to Indian troops

Nick Griffin, the leader of the British National Party, has paid a secret visit to a First World War memorial in Belgium – only to become embroiled in an angry confrontation with a 13-year-old schoolboy, The Independent has learnt.

On Wednesday the pupil, William Robey, was in Ypres visiting the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing as part of a school trip. It was built to commemorate the thousands of British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Ypres Salient in 1914-17, and its walls are inscribed with the names of 54,360 men who died for the British cause – including the 40th Pathans, an Indian infantry regiment which suffered great losses. But as "The Last Post" was about to be played, the schoolboy spotted Nick Griffin surrounded by some of his supporters.

William told The Independent: "I asked him if I could take his picture, next to the memorial for Pathan Indians. He reluctantly agreed, but as I went to take my photo I asked him, 'Isn't this against your party's policy?' One of his supporters put his hand over the lens, told me to 'get my facts straight', and grabbed my arm.

"I took the picture [above] but it's very blurry. I said to him, 'Your party's built on hatred.' He started shouting at me, pointing his finger. The rest of his lot were all laughing and smirking. I just felt a bit sick inside to see him there to be honest. There they were with their poppies on, trying to put this respectable front on, yet they're happy to confront a 13-year-old at a war memorial to try and get their point across.

"He was just saying 'I've got lots of Sikh friends' when my teacher stepped in and took me away."

A BNP spokesperson said Mr Griffin often visits War Memorials when he returns to the European Parliament. He said the BNP leader "doesn't recall any jostling,." He also "It wasn't one of Nick's security entourage who put his hand over the camera. It was someone else who was there."

William's mother, Lucy, said that since the incident her son had been approached by a number of people who wanted to congratulate him for "standing up against racism".

She added that William was "very into his politics" and "knew his stuff", hinting that he might have a career in public life ahead of him – although his talent for asking difficult questions of politicians suggests that a career in journalism might also beckon.

Independent

Muslim man claims he was kidnapped and threatened at knifepoint over prayer sessions

• Incident linked to BNP, says community leader
• Far-right Essex councillor denies members to blame

Racist attackers abducted a Muslim community leader at knifepoint, bundled him into a car and threatened his life unless he stopped running prayer sessions in a community hall that has been the target of a British National party campaign.

Police have confirmed they are treating the incident as a hate crime and are investigating links with an earlier firebomb attack on the same man's home.

Noor Ramjanally (photo, top), 35, told the Guardian he had been the victim of a terror campaign which has also involved threats against his family after he began the Islamic prayer sessions in March. He said he fears for his life after the abduction at knifepoint, which happened at his home in Loughton, Essex, on Monday.

A BNP campaign has been blamed for rising tensions in the area. The party has been leafleting the area warning of "Islamification" which it says flows from the weekly two-hour prayer session, which it claims is a prelude to a mosque being built.

Ramjanally said he was abducted from his home in daylight by two white men who threatened him with a knife, bundled him into a car then drove him into woodland. They demanded he stop organising the Friday prayer sessions at Murray hall community centre. He said the words from his abductors matched the BNP propaganda opposing the Muslim prayers. The same demand was contained in hate mail he received last month threatening his wife and child, he said.

Councillor Pat Richardson, leader of the BNP group on the local council, said her party was not behind the attacks on Ramjanally. "Firebombing is not a British method. A brick through the window is a British method, but firebombing is not a way of showing displeasure," she said.

Ramjanally said: "I believe the BNP campaign has inspired the violence."

He said he was snatched at around 12.15pm and feared he would be murdered during his ordeal. "I was at home and the door bell rang. I opened the door and they grabbed my wrists, pulling me out by force," he said.

"It was two white men. They put a knife upon my stomach, and said do what you're told or you'll get hurt." He said he was then bundled into the boot of a 4 x 4 vehicle, with one of the men holding a knife to his chest.

Ramjanally said he was driven for 10 minutes to nearby Epping Forest, walked around, and then threatened: "They said 'We don't want your Islamic group in Loughton.' I was scared, I feared for my life. I was in a forest, a knife was held against me, how would you feel? They said, 'If you don't stop, we'll come back.'"

The attackers then left Ramjanally alone in the woods. Essex police said an investigation was under way into the incident and two earlier ones at Ramjanally's home.

"Police are treating the incidents as 'hate crime' and a possible motivation would appear to be a link to the use of the Murray hall, Loughton by the Muslim community for Friday prayers," the force said.

Superintendent Simon Williams of Essex police said: "We are treating these offences with the utmost seriousness and are putting considerable resources into the investigation.

"While that investigation continues we will be working with the whole population of Loughton to ensure that all members of the community are free to practice their religion and beliefs safely and freely."The prayer sessions at Murray hall began on 27 March, with nine people worshipping. Now up to 80 people attend.

On 2 July, Ramjanally received an anonymous threatening letter telling him to stop using the hall for prayers and stating the author knew which school his child went to and which car he drove. The next day his flat was firebombed. The BNP has four councillors in the area and its leafleting campaign in late July has been attacked as inflammatory and divisive.

Richardson said she had seen the leaflet before it was released last month. She was sceptical of Ramjanally's claims of a terror campaign. "I told the police we want to object that fingers were being pointed in our direction," she said.

She also denied that BNP members were behind any violence. She believes that the weekly Muslim prayer meeting is a prelude to an attempt to encourage more Muslims to move into the area, and thus to vote out the BNP. "I was wondering whether it was a ploy to attract more Muslims to the area to try and vote out the BNP councillors," she said.

Richardson said the Muslim prayer meeting did not fit in with the area's mainly white population: "It's not really natural for the area because there are so few Muslims," she said.

At Murray hall yesterday there was little sign of the building being turned into a mosque. The hall's caretaker said a children's group was using the premises.

Passing by was lifelong Loughton resident Paul Luton, 57, who said: "Who says [the hall] can't be used for different things. A community is a community. If there's a local community of Muslims, they're local people."

Mohammad Fahim runs the nearest mosque to Loughton which was firebombed in 2000. He said racists have used the fears of new mosques in the area to stoke racial and anti-Muslim tensions.

The BNP describes Fahim's mosque, in south Woodford, four miles from Loughton, as "notorious" and claims it has incited violence. In fact, Fahim works as a chaplain for the Metropolitan police.Loughton, which borders the eastern fringe of London, is affluent in parts, with a number of houses on its millionaire's row, called Alderton Hill, owned by British Hindu families. It is also a road, said Fahim, where women wearing headscarves are racially abused by passing white motorists. He advised one Muslim woman to remove her headscarf to avoid being a victim of hate crime. According to the 2001 census, just over 1%of the area's residents describe themselves as Muslim.

One owner of a takeaway, who said he would fear for his safety if either he or his shop were named, said he often faced racist abuse: "This area is rubbish. So many times there is trouble."

Last year a 20-strong white gang attacked his shop, leaving one Asian employee with head wounds.

He said often the abuse and violence happened when people were drunk. "Tonight they call you Paki and tomorrow they come in for food."

Abdurahman Jafar, chair of the Muslim Safety Forum, which advises the police, said: "The campaign of terror has followed a campaign organised by the BNP whereby they delivered hate literature to locals citing the small Friday prayer sessions as evidence of how 'the Islamification process is almost complete'." Recent months have seen a sharp rise in religiously motivated attacks against the Muslim community including attacks on outwardly Muslim appearing individuals, mosques and pogroms directed against the Muslim Community."

* * *
How the hate campaign unfolded

27 March 2009: Nine people attend first Muslim prayers at Murray hall, Loughton, Essex, organised by Noor Ramjanally

2 July: Ramjanally receives anonymous hate mail warning his group to stop. The author says they know which school his child goes to, what car he drives. The letter is delivered by hand

3 July: Ramjanally returns to his flat at midday to find the door ablaze after a suspected firebombing attack

23 July: A BNP leaflet appears alleging Murray hall will be turned into a mosque and warning in other parts of east London that "the Islamification process is almost complete". The BNP says: "We'll do all in our power to prevent Islam creeping into our town." BNP group council leader says she approved the leaflet before its release

24 August: Ramjanally abducted by two white men wielding a knife, driven to Epping Forest and again threatened if he does not stop running his prayer group

25 August: Essex police say all incidents are being treated as hate crime, with a possible motive being the use of Murray hall

26 August: At the hall the BNP says is being turned into a mosque, children of all races engage in soft play.

The Guardian

Flackwell Heath's Richard Hamilton attended BNP golliwog burning

A BNP election candidate who attended the burning of a golliwog last night branded it “out of order”.

Richard Hamilton said he did not instigate the burning of the effigy at a British National Party festival, featured in Sunday’s News of the World. Ex-army Mr Hamilton, from Flackwell Heath, was among those at the Derbyshire “ceremony” that was branded “unacceptable” by national BNP chiefs. He stood for the Marlow seat for the BNP at June’s Buckinghamshire County Council election and got 163 votes, 1.5 per cent of ballots cast.

An anti-BNP campaigner today said the burning, over the weekend of August 15/16, showed the “true face” of the party.

But in a statement Mr Hamilton he said: “I didn't instigate this, I just passed one of the many campfires. I did think it was out of order but it had started in a light hearted way. I understand that it will have caused offence. I also wasn't very happy with some of the comments made.”

A video placed on the News of the World’s website features those around the campfire making racist comments.

Buckinghamshire BNP spokesman Matthew Tait said Mr Hamilton was not a member of the county branch and his membership has been suspended.

Calling him a “wonderful family man” he said: “It is unfortunate and not something we want to be associated with. It makes us look ridiculous and really bad.” He added: “He is a really nice guy, he wouldn’t mean anything malicious to anyone, he wouldn’t say boo to a goose. He has been roped into it.”

National party spokesman John Walker said the party “distances itself completely from the unacceptable behaviour” of Hamilton and another man featured in the story. He said: “The whole matter has now been referred to the party’s hierarchy for further action and potential disciplinary steps.”

But Gerry Gable, spokesman for Stop the BNP, said: “It is appalling and the true face of the BNP. Anyone who frowns on this is in a small minority. There is nothing light-hearted about it. Why didn’t he say ‘this makes the party look bad, why don’t we stop it?’”

Bucks Free Press

BNP faces court case over membership rules

Equality and Human Rights Commission believes far right party discriminates against 'potential or actual members on racial grounds'

The British National party is being taken to court over claims its membership criteria breach human rights law.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it had issued county court proceedings against the party leader, Nick Griffin, and two other officials today over the BNP's membership rules. The party's constitution limits members to people who are "'indigenous Caucasian' and defined 'ethnic groups' emanating from that race".

The commission first wrote to the BNP in June stating that it believed the party is in breach of the Race Relations Act. The far right organisation responded by saying it intended to clarify the word "white" on its website.

However, the commission said today that it believes the BNP is still discriminating against "potential or actual members on racial grounds".

"The BNP has said that it is not willing to amend its membership criteria which we believe are discriminatory and unlawful," said John Wadham the commission's group director. The commission has a statutory duty to use our regulatory powers to enforce compliance with the law so we have today issued county court proceedings against the BNP."

Wadham said the BNP could still avoid court action if it moved quickly to change its membership rules.

However, a spokesman for the party said it intended to fight the move, claiming the action was politically motivated.

"It is strange that this is happening now when these rules have been in place for a long time," said the BNP's deputy leader, Simon Darby. "And we certainly resent the fact that some unelected body which is 70% ethnic can accuse us of racism."

The commission said it had decided not to take action on two other grounds set out in its original letter to the BNP after the party agreed to comply with the law.

Guardian

Far right launch campaign of violence and intimidation against opponents

Aryan Martyrs' Brigade issues death threat against anti-fascism activist Weyman Bennett, while student attacked after BNP protest

Far-right activists have launched a campaign of intimidation and violence against political opponents including a series of death threats and physical attacks.

Hardline fascists are targeting students and leading anti-racism activists who campaigned against the British National party in June's European elections.

A group calling itself the Aryan Martyrs' Brigade has issued threats including a "death warrant" sent to Weyman Bennett, the joint secretary of Unite Against Fascism, stating he will be killed before the end of the year "for crimes against all loyal white patriots and British nationalists".

The threat, which the police are investigating and has a picture of Bennett in cross hairs, states: "We know exactly what you look like and what venues you frequent and can strike at will. The police, special branch, MI5, Searchlight cannot save you from the bullets coming your way. No matter where you are, we will get you, all we need is a lock on your mobile phone signal and you are one dead nigger."

Others have received threatening emails and at least one prominent activist was attacked after his picture appeared on an extreme rightwing website that was taken during protests against the BNP.

"There has definitely been an upsurge in attacks and intimidation since the European elections," said Bennett. "The fringe rightwing groups appeared to be on their best behaviour when the BNP were campaigning but once the election was over they seem to be trying to take their revenge on those of us who were prominent in the anti-fascist campaign."

The increase in rightwing violence comes after Scotland Yard admitted it was deploying more resources to monitor far-right extremists amid fears of a terrorist attack. Commander Shaun Sawyer told a meeting organised by the Muslim Safety Forum last month that there was a growing threat from the far right.

"I fear they will have a spectacular …they will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere," he said.

Sawyer added that more specialist officers needed to be deployed to counter the threat from far-right groups.

Bennett, who has received threats in the past, has been told by the police to take the latest death threat more seriously.

"Standing up against people like the BNP you do sometimes get verbal threats and intimidation but this appears to be more serious," he said. "I don't intend to stop organising anti-racism events or confronting the fascists in the BNP but something like this does make me think more about my personal security."

One of the people who has been assaulted in recent weeks is Gary McNally, who helped organise a Love Music Hate Racism festival in Stoke-on-Trent in May. After the European elections, when the BNP gained two MEPs, the 23-year-old attended a protest outside a meeting in Blackpool. Several photographs of the student appeared on the extremist Redwatch website, which is understood to be linked to the Aryan Martyrs' Brigade, alongside the slogan "Remember places, traitors' faces, they'll all pay for their crimes". A few days later McNally was attacked.

"I was about 200 yards from my house and I felt something smash against my face and I heard the words, 'You are a disgrace to your country,' and I saw a pair of shoes as I fell to the ground," he said.

McNally, a student at Staffordshire University, was taken to hospital where he was treated for cuts and bruises to his face and head.

"After I had been hit I thought I had gone blind in my left eye. The attack has left me very scared – the BNP put on this respectable front but I suppose this is the reality of what happens if you publicly stand up and disagree with them."

Simon Darby, deputy leader of the BNP, said the attacks and threats had nothing to do with the party.

"It is rather ironic that they are complaining about being attacked when they use similar tactics themselves," he added.

The Guardian

Sink immigrants' boats - Griffin

The EU should sink boats carrying illegal immigrants to prevent them entering Europe, British National Party leader Nick Griffin has told the BBC.

The MEP for the North-West of England said the EU had to get "very tough" with migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Pressed on what should happen to those on board, he said: "Throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya".

Libya has long been a staging post for migrants from Egypt and sub-Saharan Africa wanting to reach Europe.

Nearly 37,000 immigrants landed on Italian shores last year, an increase of about 75% on the year before. But with the prospect of a new immigration and asylum policy being voted on this autumn by MEPs, Mr Griffin is advocating measures to destroy boats used by illegal immigrants to reach the EU's southern coastline.

'Combating the flow'

In an interview with this week's edition of BBC Parliament's The Record Europe, he said: "If there's measures to set up some kind of force or to help, say the Italians, set up a force which actually blocks the Mediterranean then we'd support that. But the only measure, sooner or later, which is going to stop immigration and stop large numbers of sub-Saharan Africans dying on the way to get over here is to get very tough with those coming over.

"Frankly, they need to sink several of those boats. Anyone coming up with measures like that we'll support but anything which is there as a 'oh, we need to do something about it' but in the end doing something about it means bringing them into Europe' we will oppose."

The interviewer, BBC Correspondent Shirin Wheeler, said: "I don't think the EU is in the business of murdering people at sea."

Mr Griffin replied: "I didn't say anyone should be murdered at sea - I say boats should be sunk, they can throw them a life raft and they can go back to Libya. But Europe has sooner or later to close its borders or its simply going to be swamped by the Third World."

In May, the Italian government gave Libya three patrol boats as part of a deal aimed at combating the flow of illegal migrants making the crossing to Italy. Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni, a member of the anti-immigration Lega Nord party, hailed the first 200 migrants picked up by the boats and returned to Libya as an "historic" moment.

But human rights groups have raised concerns about Italy sending migrants back to Libya without first screening them for asylum claims or to discover whether they are sick, injured, unaccompanied children or victims of human trafficking. Libya has no functioning asylum system and is not a party to the 1951 UN convention relating to the status of refugees.

'Influence'

Separately Mr Griffin, who will next week formally take up his seat in Brussels, has admitted that the BNP has failed to convince other like-minded parties to form an alliance in the new European Parliament. Talks with France's Front National, Lega Nord, and other groups fell apart, with Lega Nord now joining the new Europe of Freedom and Democracy group, led by Britain's UK Independence Party.

Mr Griffin told The Parliament.com: "We needed at least 25 members from seven different member states to form a group. There is no doubt that we would have been able to wield a lot more influence if we could have formed a group. No one was prepared to commit themselves knowing that we had not got Lega Nord on board.

"Even so, we will continue to work together with these other groups and share ideas. We will have less access to things like speaking time and committee votes but it's too bad."

The BNP advocates British withdrawal from the European Union and an end to all immigration to the UK and last month won its first two seats in the European Parliament.

Mr Griffin and the party's other recently-elected MEP Andrew Brons will sit in the "non-attached" section of the Parliament, which means they will be entitled to less administrative and financial support.

BBC

2 pints of lager and a packet of BNP leaflets

The BNP website reports:

The British National Party in the West Midlands is expanding once again, reports new regional organiser Alwyn Deacon.

Speaking to BNP News after his first regional council meeting held after the European elections, Mr Deacon said he had already appointed four new organisers, one new fund holder and three new contacts for up and coming areas.

Along with the report, we find a cheery picture of West Midlands BNP activists standing outside a pub:

Take note of the logo in the background. We've seen that somewhere before. Back in April of this year, I noted the activities of the British Freedom Fighters, a gang of openly Nazi skinhead thugs, who had posted photos of themselves out and about, stomping around the streets of an unspecified location and enjoying a beer and sieg heiling session at a pub:

So, where might this pub be, a pub visited by both the jolly West Midlands BNP brigade and the BFF boneheads?

A bit of digging based on street signs and shop names in BFF pictures turned up a bar in Nuneaton called 'Eliotts Bistro'. According to the pub's listing on nuneatonpages.co.uk, Eliott's Bistro offers a 'welcoming and friendly atmosphere' and the contact is given as 'A. Deacon'. Note the logo:

What are the chances of that? The West Midlands BNP regional organiser is one Alwyn Deacon, and his crew are pictured outside a pub run by an A. Deacon. According to a May 2008 Coventry Telegraph report, 'BNP leader Alwyn Deacon, a Nuneaton pub landlord, failed by just 16 votes to oust Labour stalwart Bill Hancox in Bede ward'. This same Alwyn Deacon also stood for the BNP in the recent local election there.

Now either there are two pub landlords in Nuneaton called A. Deacon - one BNP and one non-BNP - and the BNP A. Deacon likes taking his BNP buddies for drinks at the pub of the non-BNP A. Deacon, or BNP organiser Alwyn Deacon is indeed the landlord of Eliotts Bistro. I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and go with the latter.

Given this, it is interesting that of all the pubs in Nuneaton that the BFF could have chosen for their boozy stiff arm session it just happened to be the pub of BNP activist and landlord Alwyn Deacon. An odd coincidence, no doubt...

Still, for anyone planning a night out in Nuneaton who doesn't relish the thought of spending time at a pub run by a BNP activist, you might like to give Eliotts Bistro a miss.

Edmund Standing at Harry's Place

BNP slam cops over protesters

The organiser of the British National Party's annual Red, White and Blue festival has blasted authorities for failing to charge people arrested for protesting against last year's event.

Party member Alan Warner is set to host the event for the third consecutive year on his land off Codnor Denby Lane in August and several groups have stated their intentions to protest against it.

Last year, police arrested 36 people protesting against the event but no charges were ever brought and Mr Warner thinks this will encourage opponents of his party to cause trouble at this year's event on August 15 and 16.

He said: "They came up here last year causing trouble and blocking roads and yet none of them were charged. They arrested 33 people and did not charge one of them, if that had been a member of the BNP they would have been locked up. It's amazing that in this country people can cause trouble, throw bricks at the police, block roads and not be charged. "They know now they can come and cause trouble and nothing is going to happen to them. They certainly should not be allowed to come down this lane, they should be kept on Codnor Market Place."

Representatives of the Amber Valley and Derby Campaigns Against Racism and Fascism and Notts Stop the BNP campaign met in Heanor at the end of June to discuss their plans.

A spokesman for the groups said: "Our aim is to have a peaceful protest and through force of numbers show the strength of feeling against the BNP. We want to show them they are not welcome here. The people arrested last year were never charged, but that is not the form of protest we are interested in. We want a peaceful protest, but also one that is visible to the BNP and people going to the festival who may have been drawn into the orbit of this party without fully understanding what it is about. We are in discussions with Derbyshire Police about how we can do that."

A spokesman for Derbyshire Police said: "We took our evidence regarding last year's arrests to the Crown Prosecution Service and they decide if there is enough to make a charge. It is not our decision. We are continuing to work with protest groups who are thinking of attending and trying to make sure it all passes smoothly withour incident."

Derbyshire County Council has announced it will once again be closing a number of public footpaths around the site when the festival takes place.

Ripley and Heanor News

East Lancashire BNP activists won't be charged over leaflets

Three British National Party activists arrested last year in connection with campaign leaflets have been released from police bail.

The three, a 41-year-old man from Nelson, a 44 year-old man from Darwen, and a 57-year-old man from Nelson were all arrested in November on suspicion of the publication and distribution of written material intended to stir up racial hatred and the possession of racially inflammatory material.

The swoops were in connection with leaflets which claimed Muslims were responsible for the heroin trade. Lancashire police have now told the three they will not face any charges.

A 53-year-old man from Preston arrested on suspicion of the same offences has been re-bailed until later this month.

Yesterday BNP activists protested outside Blackburn Police Station against the police’s handling of the case.

Burnley Citizen

BNP attacks MP's bid to help Indian widow return to Scotland

An SNP MP has come under attack from the British National Party, after calling for the UK's immigration rules to be relaxed so that an Indian woman can return to Scotland. Pete Wishart (left) was ridiculed on the BNP's website and described as a liar and "do-gooder" after raising the case of Nidhi Singh in the House of Commons.

Mrs Singh and her two young daughters were forced to leave their home in Perth after her husband, Navjot, died in January, months before he would have been resident in the UK long enough to qualify for indefinite leave to remain. Mrs Singh voluntarily returned to India, as she realised the family's right to stay in the UK was dependent on her husband's status. She is now keen to return to Scotland, where her husband's ashes are scattered and where her daughters went to school.

The Singhs arrived in Perth in 2004 with their first daughter, Kashish, now eight. Their second daughter, Tanisha, was born in Scotland. Mr Singh was employed by insurance firm Aviva.

Mr Wishart, the MP for Perth and North Perthshire, said the case highlighted a lack of flexibility in the immigration system, which he said worked to Scotland's disadvantage as it deprived the country of skilled workers – Mrs Singh has a degree in electronics and communications. He called for the UK to follow the lead of President Barack Obama's US administration and agree an immediate halt to the deportation of widows. The SNP wants immigration policy devolved to Holyrood, as it believes this would make it easier to address a projected fall in Scotland's population.

But the BNP said: "The SNP are so desperate to disenfranchise the Scots they would bring someone back to Scotland who, under the law, shouldn't even be living here."

An angry Mr Wishart said: "This attack is deplorable. I don't care what the BNP say about me, but the way they have tried to twist the facts of this case to suit their own nasty agenda is beneath contempt. The Singhs were forced out of their home and community at a sad and vulnerable time. Anyone with an ounce of decency will recognise that making a small change to the rules to ensure that this does not happen again is absolutely the right thing to do. Given our declining population, Scotland should be encouraging families like the Singhs to stay – not pushing them away."

Mr Wishart raised his concerns with Harriet Harman, the Leader of the Commons, this week.

Ms Harman told him that such cases were dealt with on an individual basis. "Members can ask ministers to intervene and exercise their discretion if the legal process has not produced a result that is considered fair," she said.

Last year, the Home Office reversed plans to deport to India a St Andrews University student, Swarthick Salins – whose cash reserves fell £80 below the £800 minimum required for immigrants under UK rules – after the intervention of the SNP. Mr Salins had lived in Scotland for nine years.

The Scotsman

BNP takes advantage of Llanelli's tensions

The vast supermarket meat packing factory near the Welsh town of Llanelli is convenient for lorries if not people. Owned by the Irish group Dawn Meats, it processes burgers and other mince products for the big retailers with Tesco and M&S among its customers. As the orders roll in for barbeque season, the finished goods can be on their way from the semi-rural industrial food park near the end of the M4 to the motorway network in minutes. For the town a few miles away, the location of the factory has been more of a mixed blessing. Hundreds of workers are needed for round-the-clock shifts packing burgers and steaks, but low pay, changing demand, and an isolated site have resulted in thousands of agency workers from Poland being shipped in since EU enlargement in 2004. The agency workers are said to make up 30% of the factory workforce, and to be paid less than local permanent staff, employed on poorer terms with no guarantee of work, even though some of them are semi-permanent.

It is this divide in the meat industry, that Unite the Union says is creating growing tension in factories and is threatening race relations in the communities around them.

Some 2,000 Polish people now live in Llanelli, according to estimates from local community leaders, and while many in the town praise their efforts to help the Poles integrate, the area has become fertile territory for the British National Party. The BNP acquired its first community councillor in south Wales when Kevin Edwards won 25% of the vote in a ward near the meat factory. He was joined by a second when a Plaid Cymru community councillor from the area defected to the nationalists in protest at migration in April 2009.

Residents of the rows of modest grey peddle-dashed houses whose traditional employment has been in the declining tin, steel and coal works, have been leafleted by BNP activists in recent months. The BNP's Llanelli Patriot complained of the "massive influx of cheap labour that has taken the jobs and houses of true local people". Although few people on the streets of the town want to talk about it, posts on Llanelli websites echo these fears.

The details of terms and conditions and any tension they cause are disputed. Tesco told us that it took only 4% of the produce the factory made, that the union had not raised any concerns with it in regard to the factory or tensions over it and that it had been reassured by Dawn that allegations of unequal treatment were unfounded.

M&S indicated that it had audited the site intensively in the last year and worked with the company to introduce several improvements including a confidential hotline and confidential surgery for agency and local staff to air problems. The union has recently won recognition at the factory. Unite's deputy general secretary Jack Dromey told us that "progress is now being made tackling real problems of a divided workpalce at Dawn Llaenlli over migrant workers being paid less than local Welsh workers."

Workers and their support groups in town contacted by the Guardian talked of significant recent problems, however.

"Of course people are angry," Agata, one of the Polish workers employed at the meat factory by CSA Recruitment, the agency that supplies it with labour, told us through an interpreter last week. "I feel angry to be doing the same job as everyone else and being paid less."

Agata says that as a middle aged mother who lives quietly she has been welcomed by locals; her argument is not with them. "Llanelli is wonderful". Agency workers are on so called "zero hours contracts" which means they can be required to work from 5pm to 3am and, they allege, be made to stay on for overtime until 6am at the same basic minimum wage rate one day, but laid off without notice the next. Permanent workers have guaranteed work and are paid a premium for overtime.

The Welsh Polish Mutual Association of Llanelli was set up because Polish workers were having so many problems with their agency employment, national insurance numbers, car insurance and housing when they first came. Its chairman is Llanelli born Jeff Hopkins, a former councillor, who now devotes himself to providing grass-roots support. "It happened in 2004 quite suddenly with EU expansion. They flooded in from Poland thanks to the agency and hit the town when no one knew it was going to happen. The truth is local people have difficulty working in factories like these."

At the Polish Centre, an advice bureau in town, 800-900 enquiries about problems presented by Polish workers have been logged on average in recent months. The centre and workers report that more than 200 Polish workers were laid off in the spring without notice, but a few weeks later a further 200-plus new Polish migrants were brought in by the agency.

"It's the problem with today's fresh food production. They want people on command, on standby. It's all market forces but it's putting the clock back," she said.

The Llanelli-based agency CSA Recruitment declined to comment. The Dawn group said that it had been a large employer operating in Carmarthenshire for over 15 years. "As well as employing a large number of permanent staff our business in common with others also engages labour via agencies to assist with seasonal fluctuations in demand." "

"We have a very strong Works Council which represents all our staff and management and is made up of British and non national staff. We also have a recognition agreement in place with Unite and they have not raised any of these issues with us," it said in a statement.

"Our weekly confidential staff surgery system, our multi-lingual induction process, our approach to occupational health and our independent confidential 24 hour manned hotline are, we believe, clear examples of the pro-active and best practice approach we take to the ethical treatment of all staff on site''

M&S told us that currently about 5% of Dawn Llanelli orders were for its shelves.

"We fully understand that the use of agency workers is a real challenge for meat and poultry suppliers, which is why we have been working closely with our whole supply base, including Dawnpac, over the last year to help them work towards this.

M&S told us it was also pioneering an 'ethical model factory' with one of its UK poultry suppliers. The aim is to help suppliers manage temporary and migrant workers in a way that gives all workers access to benefits, equal wages and more secure work and has involved the retailer reviewing its ordering practices to reduce last minute changes.

The Guardian

Croydon Council looks to take action over BNP member's sick boast

Croydon Council is looking to see whether it can take a BNP member to court after she boasted about mounting a hate campaign against a family of immigrants living in the flat above her.

Charlotte Lewis, who earlier this year stood as a candidate in the Waddon by-election, told a meeting of British National Party members she played loud music late into the night - which may have contributed to the Afghan family moving out. The comments were made at a meeting in east London to celebrate the party's showing in the recent European elections.

Addressing party members at a pub in Dagenham, she said: "I don't think they could take any more of my penchant for playing heavy metal at 1am."

When the Advertiser asked the 36-year-old, who lives in Bensham Lane, Thornton Heath, to explain the comments, Ms Lewis said she had "embellished" the story for the sake of her audience. But she added: "I'm of the opinion that none of them should be in this country anyway. It would be in the best interests of this country if they moved back to Afghanistan. If British people were to move in upstairs I would keep the noise down."

Asked if she had made any efforts to get to know her neighbours, Ms Lewis added: "That would be hypocritical, and I'm not hypocritical. What on earth would we speak about, even if they could speak English? They're immigrants in my country and I'm a member of the BNP."

Croydon North MP Malcolm Wicks - a patron of the West Croydon Refugee Centre - said he was appalled at her remarks. He said: "If she admits that she made the comments, it's a really extraordinary thing. It's clearly anti-social behaviour and the idea that someone could be considered for elected public service after admitting this kind of anti-social behaviour is bizarre. It shows the good sense of the people of Waddon for not voting for her."

Councillor Alison Butler, who represents the Bensham Manor ward where Ms Lewis lives, was equally disgusted by her bragging. She said: "I'm going to see if there's any action we (Croydon Council) can take. I'm just horrified at her despicable remarks, I just wish we'd heard about it sooner."

Gavin Barwell, the council's cabinet member for safety and cohesion, has asked officers to investigate what steps they can take against her under anti-social behaviour laws. He said: "I share Councillor Butler's concerns and will be looking into it. I view it very seriously, and I'm taking advice from officers about whether there is any legal action we can take."

This is Croydon

BNP: Commission takes action over potential breach of race discrimination law

The EHRC has today written to BNP over possible breaches of anti-discrimination law.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today written to the British National Party over possible breaches of anti-discrimination law. The Commission has demanded that the party address potential breaches related to its constitution and membership criteria, employment practices and provision of services to the public and constituents.

The letter, sent to the party chairman Nick Griffin, outlines the Commission’s concerns about the BNP’s compliance with the Race Relations Act. The letter asks the BNP to provide written undertakings by 20th July that it will make the changes required by the Commission. Failure to do so may result in the Commission issuing an application for a legal injunction against the BNP.

The Commission has a statutory duty, under the Equality Act 2006, to enforce the provisions of the Act and to work towards the elimination of unlawful discrimination. This duty includes preventing discrimination by political parties.

The Commission thinks that the BNP’s constitution and membership criteria may discriminate on the grounds of race and colour, contrary to the Race Relations Act. The party’s membership criteria appear to restrict membership to those within what the BNP regards as particular “ethnic groups” and those whose skin colour is white. This exclusion is contrary to the Race Relations Act which the party is legally obliged to comply with. The Commission therefore thinks that the BNP may have acted, and be acting, illegally.

The Commission has required the BNP to provide a written undertaking that it will not discriminate contrary to the Race Relations Act in its employment and recruitment policies, procedures and practices.

The BNP’s website states that the party is looking to recruit people and states that any applicants should supply a membership number. The Commission thinks that this requirement is contrary to the Race Relations Act, which outlaws the refusal or deliberate omission to offer employment on the basis of non-membership of an organisation. The Commission is therefore concerned that the BNP may have acted, and be acting, illegally.

The letter asks the BNP to provide a written undertaking that it will amend its policy on recruitment accordingly so that it complies with the Race Relations Act.

The Commission is also concerned that the BNP’s elected representatives may not intend to offer or provide services on an equal basis to all their constituents and members of the public irrespective of race or colour. The Commission thinks that this contravenes the Race Relations Act and the Local Authority Model Code of Conduct and that the BNP may have acted illegally and may act illegally in the future.

The Commission’s letter asks the BNP to provide a written undertaking that its elected representatives or those working for them will not discriminate on grounds of race or colour in the provision of services to members of the public or constituents.

John Wadham, Group Director Legal at the Equality and Human Rights Commission said:

“The Commission’s statutory role includes a duty to investigate possible breaches of discrimination law and take action where appropriate. The legal advice we have received indicates that the British National Party’s constitution and membership criteria, employment practices and provision of services to constituents and the public may breach discrimination laws which all political parties are legally obliged to uphold. We await a response from the BNP to our letter before deciding what further action we may take. Litigation or enforcement action can be avoided by the BNP giving a satisfactory response to our letter.”

Equality and Human Rights Commission

BNP to stand in by-election

The controversial British National Party has confirmed that one of its members will bid to become the next Norwich North MP.

Robert West, founder of the Christian Council of Britain and who describes himself as a “reverend” on the BNP website, will officially stand to replace Ian Gibson.

He was the lead candidate for the BNP, which has been condemned for its extreme views, in the East Midlands but did not gain enough votes to win a seat in the European Parliament last month.

Today, MPs and councillors hit out at the party and said their extremism was not welcome.

North Norfolk MP Norman Lamb said: “I want voters to reject extremism and if anyone stands for the BNP they should be rejected. They are a racist party and are preying on vulnerable people.

“I believe in treating people equally and this party does not share this view.”

Tim East, a South Norfolk councillor for Costessey, said: “Before anyone has a chance of being elected we need to know their full background. There should be complete transparency into people's pasts before the public can make a valued judgement.”

Mr West caused controversy on BBC1 in February when he said the answer to the recession was for women to “work at home” and he is against all forms of multi-culturalism.

And the 53-year-old, who lives near Spalding in south Lincolnshire, said today: “We are taking a strong anti-immigration line. And we are against the issue of sovereignty to the European community. I believe multi-culturalism is unnecessary and evil.

“I want the people of Norwich to follow this line and realise we have not been tough enough on immigration. I do not want anywhere in this country turning into the Middle East.

“This is Britain and I will fight to keep it that way.”

Mr West said although he does not live in the city he believes he can represent people here because he comes from a “rural community” which is similar to Norfolk and he has lectured for the University of East Anglia (UEA).

He admitted to possessing old fashioned views but said he wants to tell people in Norwich the truth about what he represents and “not a pack of lies”.

He said he believes the market has been flooded with women working and it would be “better if they stayed at home”.

“The domestic sphere is a natural place for a woman to be,” he said. “I honestly think it is woman's right to be at home. Women should get married and their first priority should be the home.

“Recently the home has been abandoned and this modern way does not work. I think many women agree with this, even though they are working themselves.

“This is my view and I hope to get the people of Norwich to listen to this.”

Mr West is one of several candidates poised to try and take the Norwich North seat, which belonged to Ian Gibson before he was forced to step down in the face of the Westminster expenses scandal.

Dr Gibson quit after he was deselected by the Labour Party for claiming for a flat which his daughter and her boyfriend lived in rent free before he sold it to them at a reduced rate.

The BNP failed to win seven Norfolk seats in the county council elections earlier this month, including Sprowston.

Norwich Evening News

Ignore this vile abuse, Kelly Holmes is a true Brit

You always remember what you were doing when something wonderful happened.

Well, on the evening of August 28, 2004, I was standing on a track-side seat and screaming as a young woman drove herself through the last few strides of an Olympic final. When she crossed the line, adding the 1500metres title to her 800m victory, I apologised to an American colleague for my outburst.

'Don't worry,' he said. 'She's a great lady, Kelly Holmes. You Brits should be proud of her.'

He was right, of course. Kelly's double was a prodigious achievement. In the annals of British sport it takes its place alongside Roger Bannister's four-minute mile, Bobby Moore's World Cup winners of 1966 and the 2003 Rugby World Cup victory of Martin Johnson's men. I well recall her tears of pride as she climbed to the peak of the podium and she did not cry alone.

Since that glorious Athenian evening, Kelly has continued to bring honour and credit to her sport. She was appointed National School Sports Champion and has enjoyed real success in increasing the amount of PE and active sport in our schools. She has designed and promoted programmes to support the development of gifted young sportsmen and women.

And she carries the credibility of an athlete whose own career - despite being distorted by injury and plagued by ill fortune - represented the ultimate vindication of spirit, endurance and towering talent. She was created a Dame in 2005 and more recently was elected President of Commonwealth Games England. In short, she is something more than a mere heroine; she has attained the status of national treasure.

Which makes the intervention of one Andrew Brons even more offensive.

Mr Brons is a leading light in the British National Party. He recently polled 9.8 per cent of votes in the Yorkshire and Humber region, which won him a seat in the European Parliament. He is a former member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement. And this odious fellow has just expressed a view about our Kelly.

Although she was born in Pembury, Kent, and served for several years in the British Army before embarking upon her stunningly successful career in the British vest, she is not, in Brons's considered opinion, a fully-fledged Briton. For Kelly is the daughter of an English mother and a Jamaican-born father and her mixed-race heritage means that she is 'only partially from this country'.

Or, as he puts it: 'I don't accept the term Black British or Asian British. Britons are the indigenous peoples of these isles.'

Now, normally I should not dream of publicising the pitiful fantasies of Brons and his fellow inadequates. But his idiocy gives us the chance to reflect upon just how far sport has come.

Football, the national sport, has played a major part in engaging the entire community. The briefest glance at the current England team tells us how handsomely the sport has embraced diversity. Track and field has always had an admirable record in this area while rugby and cricket can point to genuine progress.

In truth, most of our major sports - with tennis a faintly depressing exception - have made intelligent efforts to broaden their talent base and British sport has benefited greatly from such enhanced inclusiveness.

It is, therefore, appropriate that the country should take collective offence when a fascist like Brons dares to question their presence in the nation's sport by declaring: 'They are British citizens, which is a legal concept, but not British by identity.' It is a statement both baseless and insulting and it says more about the poisonous dullard who made it than the men and women who it seeks to belittle.

For they are considerable people who have achieved great things, people like Ugo Monye, Ravi Bopara, Emile Heskey, Theo Walcott, Monty Panesar and Rio Ferdinand, as well as the woman who brought us screaming to our feet at the Athens Olympics.

'She's a great lady, Kelly Holmes,' said the American journalist. 'You Brits should be proud of her.'

Indeed we are, because Dame Kelly is one of the finest athletes in Olympic history. And she is one of us.

Patrick Collins in the Mail on Sunday

Welcome for the BNP: Egg throwers disrupt leader Nick Griffin's victory speech

The moment Griffin's goon brushes pedestrian aside at 0.29
After his party gained its first two MEPs in last weeks European elections, BNP leader Nick Griffin obviously wanted to make his victory Press conference a statesmanlike affair.

But when the far right leader arrived to deliver his speech opposite the Houses of Parliament, he found his party's message of hate was afforded precious little respect.

Together with fellow British National Party MEP Andrew Brons, Mr Griffin tried to use yesterday's Westminster meeting to publicise his party's racist agenda. But, instead, he was pelted with eggs by anti-fascist protesters, some of the projectiles finding their target.

Perhaps anticipating trouble, Mr Griffin had come with a squad of his own burly security guards. There was also a sizeable presence of armed police.

But he was able to speak for only a few minutes before a large gathering of the campaign group Unite Against Fascism disrupted the meeting.

In scenes that are likely to be repeated as the BNP tries to establish itself as a legitimate political party, the Press conference disintegrated into violent chaos as campaigners waving placards and shouting 'Off our streets, Nazi scum' threw eggs and tried to get between the BNP and the news cameras. Heavily outnumbered, Mr Griffin and his supporters were forced into waiting cars, which then sped away.

One of the protesters vowed: 'Wherever you go, we will make sure you are welcomed by demonstrations.'

Television cameras captured disturbing images of one woman in a red jacket being aggressively shoved aside by a BNP security guard in the melee. A female tourist was also injured. Police later received an allegation of assault and reports of a collision, thought to have occurred as the BNP group drove off.

The violent scenes took place on College Green, a small patch of grass opposite the Houses of Parliament often used for interviews.

Still wearing his egg- stained suit, Mr Griffin later toured the television news studios to complain that he had been denied his democratic right to free speech. He said: 'It's a very, very sad day for British democracy. People should be entitled to hear what we have to say and to hear journalists question us robustly.'

Mr Griffin described the protesters as 'an organised mob' and alleged that the police officers had 'on orders from the Home Office' deliberately done nothing to protect him.

Unite Against Fascism is an umbrella group formed by the veteran campaign groups the Anti-Nazi League and the National Assembly Against Racism as well as various trades unions in response to the rising electoral threat of the BNP. Numerous MPs are listed as supporters, including Conservative leader David Cameron.

A BNP spokesman said that it will re-organise the Press conference for later today in Manchester, but said details of the time and place were being kept secret to prevent further trouble.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said two people were taken to hospital after the protest and inquiries were continuing.

Daily Mail

Griffin's thugs knock down innocent woman

An innocent female pedestrian was brutally thrown to the ground and trampled by Nick Griffin's panicking security thugs as they hustled the terrified BNP leader away from anti-fascist protesters during an abortive press conference outside the Houses of Parliament today.

The incident was inadvertently captured on video by ITV News, who said that two people were later taken to hospital.

There are suspicions that the BNP, which employed far more than the normal quota of thick-necked bodyguards to watch over Griffin and Andrew Brons, had engineered the confrontation. Unusually, last night a post on the BNP website announced the "press conference" and gave a telephone number for journalists to contact for further details, and it is believed that this open invitation is how anti-fascists discovered the whereabouts of the event.

Griffin had only just begun to speak when the protesters arrived and began to pelt the North West MEP with eggs. Griffin was quickly hustled away to his car, accompanied by the press and the protesters. It was as they neared the car that a woman pedestrian was elbowed in the throat by Griffin's minder and fell into the busy road, where she was trampled by shaven-headed thugs in the rush to save Griffin's skin.

Ignored by Griffin and the BNP, the woman was helped by anti-fascists.

Here's the sequence of events, taken from the ITV footage:

The woman, captured on video moments before the BNP assault

Engulfed by the BNP







Caught in the melee, Griffin's minder goes for the throat...

... and the woman is trampled by fleeing fascists

The only concern - save Griffin's hide

Later, safe in a South London pub, Griffin told ITV News that the actions of the anti-fascists were "disgusting". He did not ask after the health of the woman knocked down and trampled by his own thugs.

ITV coverage

Far right bets on disdain for main UK parties

At the ESWA sports club in Birkenhead, north-west England, Thursday night is “race night”, with punters crowding round to place bets on virtual horses.

Down in the basement an altogether different kind of race event is taking place. The anti-immigration British National party is holding a party meeting to whip up local support for the European parliamentary elections on Thursday.

The BNP is confident it can ride a wave of popular disgust towards politicians in the wake of the parliamentary expenses scandal, and win its first seat in the European parliament. North-west England is the party’s number one target constituency, with Nick Griffin, the far right party’s leader set to win a seat if the BNP attracts more than 8.5 per cent of the vote.

The party’s confidence has worried mainstream politicians. David Cameron, leader of the opposition Conservatives, has described BNP members as “nazi thugs” in suits and Jack Straw, justice minister in the Labour government, said it would be “very damaging” for the country if they win any seats.

In a further cause for worry, Mr Griffin’s party has held talks to affiliate with other European far-right parties – such as the Freedom Party in Austria, Jean-Marie Le Pen’s Front Nationale in France and Vlaams Belang of Flanders – amid fears such groups could gain a firm foothold as voters across the continent express their disapproval of mainstream politics after the banking crisis.

Mr Griffin’s address mixes “anti-politics” rhetoric – arguing that Labour, the Conservatives and opposition Liberal Democrats are “three factions of the same establishment party”– and the theme of “charity begins at home”. Mr Griffin decries the allocation of a £7bn foreign aid budget while “British old age pensioners die of the cold”.

The speech is received rapturously by the few dozen people in the audience, made up largely of pensioners, former servicemen, some young shaven-headed men in suits and a smattering of middle aged women.

In Wallasey, a nearby town, the response among white shoppers to BNP activists ran from apathy to morbid curiosity. But one man shouted, “You’ll do well this time lads,” a view shared by several others. Another man in his 20s shouted, “Don’t listen to them; they’re all . . . nazis”. A respectable-looking middle aged woman then screwed up a leaflet and threw it back at an activist, saying: “You’re not wanted in this town; it’s totally unchristian.”

Speaking to the Financial Times, Mr Griffin conceded that the north Wirrall area was not a typical BNP heartland because it has large numbers of unemployed people, who tend to opt out of voting, rather than the disgruntled manual workers who make up the party base. Given the “perfect storm” for the BNP of disdain for the political class, rising unemployment, low voter turnout and the fact that people often use European elections to protest, one party worked admitted, however, that “if we don’t win now, we never will”.

But in spite of the party’s largely polite public demeanour and Mr Griffin’s awareness that the British public would not vote for a party that “marches in ­jackboots and burns down shops”, there are unpalatable views below the surface. Mr Griffin says he has “nothing against Sikhs and Hindus” – even though they cannot join the party and he will offer large sums to encourage them to voluntarily repatriate – but is avowedly “anti-Islam”.

Financial Times

Tories blame Labour for BNP threat

The Conservatives have blamed Labour for the prospect of a historically strong performance by the British National party in Thursday’s elections, as new research suggests support for the far right is strongest in Old Labour heartlands.

The Tory intervention marks a shift in the traditional bipartisan approach to fighting the BNP. All three main party leaders are urging people to shun the far-right fringe party amid fears a low turnout could combine with protests against MPs’ expenses to give the BNP at least one seat in the European parliament.

The complex proportional representation system used in the European poll means the BNP needs only an 8.5 per cent vote share to get an MEP elected in the north-west or London – its principal targets. Recent polls show a dramatic post-expenses rise in support for “others”, putting the eurosceptic UK Independence party on 10-19 per cent and the BNP on 5-7 per cent.

The Tories, battling against the erosion into their own vote from the seemingly resurgent Ukip, accuse Labour of inadvertently creating an electoral opportunity for the BNP.

“That people are considering voting BNP is symptomatic of the neglect that the Labour party has shown in their heartlands. It is a shame Labour has simply abandoned so many of their traditional voters,” Eric Pickles, the Tory chairman, told the Financial Times.

Gordon Brown rejected this assertion. “The BNP. . . stand against everything that makes this country great,” the prime minister said on a campaign visit to Worksop in the east Midlands. “There are some people who argue that Labour has somehow abandoned the white working class. Nothing could be further from the truth . . . we are on the side of people on middle and modest incomes.”

A Labour source accused the Tories of “political point scoring”, saying it was “incumbent on all mainstream parties to push up voter turnout to lessen the chance of the BNP gaining any success”.

But new research suggests the BNP is performing best in Labour heartlands – areas of high unemployment and low education with large Pakistani and African populations. The typical BNP supporter matches the Old Labour profile of a middle-aged, working class northern male, according to research by Robert Ford and Matthew Goodwin of the University of Manchester. Their analysis of aggregated polling data on self-identified BNP supporters found that more than 90 per cent of the fringe party’s strongest constituencies have Labour MPs.

“The BNP is emerging as a significant challenger to the Labour party among social groups and in geographical areas where Labour has traditionally been dominant,” Mr Goodwin said. “Labour faces a serious threat from the large-scale defection of traditional heartland supporters to the BNP.”

Labour appears divided over how best to respond to this threat. MPs on the left of the party, such as Jon Cruddas, say Labour needs to offer more direct support to the working class to counter the threat of “class politics of the far right”.

But Denis MacShane, former Europe minister, said business had compounded the failure of the main parties to “talk about Europe intelligently” and sell its benefits. “The biggest beneficiaries of the workers who have come from Europe have been employers but the CBI, EEF and BCC are like trappist monks . . . when it comes to campaigning on this,” he said. There was an “unfortunate coincidence” between the BNP’s anti-European, anti-immigration core messages and the campaign being run by Ukip, which, he stressed, he was not accusing of being racist.

The Tories have stepped up the rhetoric against what David Cameron termed a “bunch of fascist thugs”. But the Tory leader took a softer tone with Ukip: “I know you may be thinking of voting Ukip but look what they’ve achieved over the past five years [in the European parliament] – precisely nothing.”

Financial Times